Recently purchased an A5-350 and while it does sound good it the auto-on is a bit sleepy. With my PEQ at 2/3's gain i need to crank the volume to -10 db or at full gain -20 db which is too loud for me. Though maybe the sub is only suppose to turn on when there's a lot of bass not when there's only a little bit of bass? I was wondering for 95% HT and 5% music is this the best sub in this range? I was comparing to similar SVS and HSU subs and this is the closest to the A5-350 I can find.

A5-350: $800 though I got it for less
PB12-NSD: $569 + shipping probably not the same league as the A5-350
VTF-3 MK-3: $699 + shipping or $799 + shipping for the better color

Might be me being picky but would rather not have to boost the volume to turn on the sub and hope it stays on. If the A5-350 is the best I'll keep it but if there's a comparable sub with an always on switch I might go for that. Any help would be appreciated.

Recently purchased an A5-350 and while it does sound good it the auto-on is a bit sleepy. With my PEQ at 2/3's gain i need to crank the volume to -10 db or at full gain -20 db which is too loud for me. Though maybe the sub is only suppose to turn on when there's a lot of bass not when there's only a little bit of bass? I was wondering for 95% HT and 5% music is this the best sub in this range? I was comparing to similar SVS and HSU subs and this is the closest to the A5-350 I can find.

A5-350: $800 though I got it for less
PB12-NSD: $569 + shipping probably not the same league as the A5-350
VTF-3 MK-3: $699 + shipping or $799 + shipping for the better color

Might be me being picky but would rather not have to boost the volume to turn on the sub and hope it stays on. If the A5-350 is the best I'll keep it but if there's a comparable sub with an always on switch I might go for that. Any help would be appreciated.
Is it the lt-550amp or lt-500? I had a lt-550 amp replace for a lt-350 tuesday and it sounds goooood:) The 550 was good but it would go in protect mode at time so I had to run it a lil bit lower for it to run constent and won't go off. But since I got the lt 300 and calibrate it, it sound really good a to bet honest better cause I can turn it higher. By buying the lt300 amp with the adapter, you would come out cheaper and with good sound. You my want to consider before spending 500+:)

LT-500. Issue is mostly getting the amp to turn on I need something really loud to make it turn on. How do you know if it's going into protect mode or not? Wish I knew if this is how sensitive it's suppose to be or if it's just the amp. Also what is the adapter?

the amp comes on when a digital signal is fed through it, other than that it turn's off. I have two A5-350's, i set them up exactly like on their website. Set the gains on the subs to half, follow the way they do it. The level on the e.q does everything for you.
You'll know when it goes into protection. I've absolutely hammered these subs with the e.q and it's awesome. If your looking just for a specific low level, than YOU can adjust it anyway you want. Just figure out your maximum listening level.
As for the delay in the start up of the amp from signal not sure...
My Ps3- the sub does not come on for gaming until i actually fire a bullet or some kind of action.
Movies- the sub turns on at the beginning.
Calibrate- instant...

What do you mean the level on the eQ.2 does everything for you? My sub won't turn on unless there's a very large explosion or sort near me. Shoot or even throwing grenades near me won't trigger the sub.

Actually could you tell me what your settings are? I wanna try to match your settings and see if shooting turns the sub on or not to make sure it's just me and not the sub acting up.

On the Ed website, they have a blog that show's the ideal setting's as a starter, in the form of a picture. I match those settings. On the subs themselves, the gain is just below half, 0 Phase, crossover around 60...I have all my speakers set to small and crossed at 60.
I do not hear the subs at all unless it's called upon, 60hz and lower..which in most cases is only action. Try watching Bolt in bluray if you can, right from the start for the first ten minutes it should totally pound and then go silent for a chapter or two.
The other thing to maybe look at would be the setup of your dvd player. I have a Sony 550 and totally had to change everything with my amp and how it took signals. So match the Ed settings and just turn up the level a touch on the e.q...hope this helps.

I'll give Bolt a shot. So are your subs level match to your other speakers or not? It seems a lot of everyone likes to crank their subs beyond level match is that true?

I'll give Bolt a shot. So are your subs level match to your other speakers or not? It seems a lot of everyone likes to crank their subs beyond level match is that true?

Calibrating above reference level for the subwoofer really depends on whether you want more emphasis on bass effects. I personally calibrate all of my speakers (including the sub) to 75dB.

Recently purchased an A5-350 and while it does sound good it the auto-on is a bit sleepy. With my PEQ at 2/3's gain i need to crank the volume to -10 db or at full gain -20 db which is too loud for me. Though maybe the sub is only suppose to turn on when there's a lot of bass not when there's only a little bit of bass? I was wondering for 95% HT and 5% music is this the best sub in this range? I was comparing to similar SVS and HSU subs and this is the closest to the A5-350 I can find.

A5-350: $800 though I got it for less
PB12-NSD: $569 + shipping probably not the same league as the A5-350
VTF-3 MK-3: $699 + shipping or $799 + shipping for the better color

Might be me being picky but would rather not have to boost the volume to turn on the sub and hope it stays on. If the A5-350 is the best I'll keep it but if there's a comparable sub with an always on switch I might go for that. Any help would be appreciated.


I guess it goes without saying, but apparently the Ed doesn't have an "ON" position on the LT550.

I'm not totally sure on that one Alkaar. I crank up my amp to calibrate and watch at a lower level. Currently i have everything on small at 60 hz, sub same. My speakers are rated at 89db and i have everything calibrated to 80db, subs at 83-84 db.
My amp volume is 100, i calibrate at volume 70, i then watch movies at volume 60-62. This for me still pumps out 110-113 db for my room. Hope this helps.

I guess it goes without saying, but apparently the Ed doesn't have an "ON" position on the LT550.

WRONG it does have an ON position AND an AUTO

I think I know what your problem is. I don't think you setup your subwoofer correctly. What receiver do you have? I assume your A5-350 came with the free eQ.2, am I correct? Are you planning to use that eQ.2 to flatten your subwoofer response? If not, and you're just using it as recommended by eD for its subsonic filter, then I would suggest you forget about the eQ.2 and connect the sub directly to the receiver. Recalibrate your system using a SPL meter to 75 dB and you won't have any problem.

If you insist on using the eQ.2 anyway, here how I would set it. Turn your GAIN knob all the way clockwise (MAX) and Phase all the way counterclockwise (0 degree). If you want to use the subsonic filter, turn it on and set the SUBSONIC knob to around 2 o'clock. For everything else, leave them at 12 o'clock. Set your receiver's subwoofer level to 0 dB (or -1 if you prefer), then use your SPL meter to calibrate to your sub using the internal receiver's test tones. Adjust your sub's level using the GAIN knob your subwoofer instead to reach 75 dB. You will notice the gain on your sub will be higher than normal compare to using it standalone without the eQ.2. This is due to the fact that the eQ.2 limiting the output voltage from your receiver to only 2.5v. Thus, you have to compensate for this by increasing the gain on your subwoofer.

Just for your reference, I am using the eQ.2 with my A2-300 (older). My receiver's sub level is at 0 dB and the gain on my A2-300 is at 2 o'clock. Of course, this is due to the fact I had a huge 40 Hz peak in my room. Using the eQ.2, I was able to flatten my response out. After recalibration of my sub, I had to increase the gain to around 2 o'clock.

I would forget about buying another sub. That A5-350 is a beast. I doubt you'll find a better value subwoofer. The older A5-350 was rated higher by craigsub than every other subs you listed. As long as you calibrated your sub correctly, don't worry about the AutoON thing too much. Worse case, you can just turn your sub on permanently. I doubt you will need too once you followed my advice. Good luck!

So cranked my eQ.2 to max gain and does help. Now shooting a bullet does turn the sub on at I believe around -30 db when I was testing it. Issue is with max game and level matching my sub is about 10 dbs too hot but I would want to run it a little hot anyway. Maybe not 10 dbs but I'll play with it some more.

Yea after some research I ended up back at eD being the best value. HSU is too much more money for around the same quality sub and the SVS just doesn't measure up either. Chances are I'll stick with the eD but I'll keep everyone posted with my results. Thanks for the help.

Also I called eD and they said there isn't an always on switch. Is there something I'm missing?

Are you seriously running your sub 10 dB hot? That is just too HOT! I would seriously consider another sub if you're need that much bass. Some people like to calibrate their sub as hot as 5 dB, but 10 dB is too much. You will risk clipping that sub in some movies if you're watching it loud enough. Also, keep in mind if you're using a radio shack SPL meter and calibrate it to 75 dB, that's already around 2 dB hot. Most quality subs are usually flat in their frequency response, and thus meaning that if calibrated correctly, you won't hear bass unless it is called for. If the music or movie track doesn't have a lot of bass, then you won't hear a lot of bass. If you was once like me, who likes a lot of bass all the time, then consider get another sub because it may be hard for you to adjust to a flat-sounding sub.

Regarding whether SVS or HSU is too much money, that may be subjective. With that said, a friend of mine got the HSU VTF3-MK3, all I have to say is that is the most clean and musical I've ever heard in my life. It's no slouch in HT either.

I looked at eD's plate amplifier on their site, they're correct about there's no always on switch. It only has OFF and AUTO ON. As hot as you're running that sub, I don't see how that would be an issue for you.

Last but not least, if you're not satisfy with the bass sound, consider moving the sub to a different location.

Forgot to say my AVR is a NAD T775. When I say gain at max I mean the eQ.2 gain is at max. The sub level is at the lowest setting and it's still 10 db more than the rest of my speakers so I don't think it's gonna clip. That's the weird thing for me is that everyone has their subs around 12 o'clock to level match while for me I have it at the lowest possible setting and it's still 10 db's too hot which makes me feel like I must be doing something wrong.

For my tastes yes 10 db is a bit much as I've toned it down a little but I prefer a bit more than level match so somewhere between I like it.

From what I heard from someone who has both the A5-350 and the VTF3-MK3 the A5-350 has more punch but music wise the VTF3-MK3 is better so being I'm mostly a HT guy I picked the A5-350.

Also I'm still within the 30 day return window for my A5-350 which is why I'm considering sticking with it or not as this is a sub I'm gonna want to keep for a very long time so I want to be sure I'm happy with it.

Actually to make sure I'm level matching correctly I play a 60 hz test tone through each speaker and set them all to 70 db with the sub off. I then turn off all my speakers (because even with my XO at 60 hz they still play) and play that same 60 hz test tone through the sub and level match it. I read somewhere you should level match your sub to the test tone playing out of all speakers not just a single speaker.

Please keep us updated

I'm in the market for a sub that can last a few years and came to same conclusion with eD A5-350.

I really like SVS PB-12NSD, smaller, older (mature design), etc - but after shipping, the price is really close to A5-350.
I'm a bit hesitant with eD since I just started looking at their products and found only a few reviews (compared to SVS products)

Yea after some research I ended up back at eD being the best value. HSU is too much more money for around the same quality sub and the SVS just doesn't measure up either. Chances are I'll stick with the eD but I'll keep everyone posted with my results. Thanks for the help.

I look at those eD and SVS as well, plus many others, ended up with a PB12-NSD. So far all I can say is that it is amazing but can't comment on eD or others since I never did end up hearing them. But the SVS will keep me satisfied for a very long time. Good luck with the decision.

Forgot to say my AVR is a NAD T775. When I say gain at max I mean the eQ.2 gain is at max. The sub level is at the lowest setting and it's still 10 db more than the rest of my speakers so I don't think it's gonna clip. That's the weird thing for me is that everyone has their subs around 12 o'clock to level match while for me I have it at the lowest possible setting and it's still 10 db's too hot which makes me feel like I must be doing something wrong.

For my tastes yes 10 db is a bit much as I've toned it down a little but I prefer a bit more than level match so somewhere between I like it.

From what I heard from someone who has both the A5-350 and the VTF3-MK3 the A5-350 has more punch but music wise the VTF3-MK3 is better so being I'm mostly a HT guy I picked the A5-350.

Also I'm still within the 30 day return window for my A5-350 which is why I'm considering sticking with it or not as this is a sub I'm gonna want to keep for a very long time so I want to be sure I'm happy with it.

Actually to make sure I'm level matching correctly I play a 60 hz test tone through each speaker and set them all to 70 db with the sub off. I then turn off all my speakers (because even with my XO at 60 hz they still play) and play that same 60 hz test tone through the sub and level match it. I read somewhere you should level match your sub to the test tone playing out of all speakers not just a single speaker.


Are your speakers set to SMALL on your receiver? Have you tried move your sub to another location and recalibrate it? I think you may have a some peaky spots in your room. Get some REALTRAPS test tones and use your SPL meter to get a frequency response of your sub from your seating position. Graph it out using Excel or by hand, and see what's going on. Use your eQ.2 to tame that those peaks and recalibrate your sub. Also, check to make sure your phase is correct before doing all this.

If all fells, disconnect your eQ.2 and connect your A5-350 directly to your receiver. Check to make sure if your eQ.2 is defective or not and messing up your frequency response.

Just letting everyone know I haven't forgotten about this thread. I still have the A5-350 and about now is passed the 30 day return deadline. I'll let everyone know how things are working out sometime later on.

i have the A5-350 and it turns on the second the receiver sends any audio. Make sure your crossovers are set up correctly and that the receiver isn't in night/late mode. This can sometimes eliminate the sub output all together unless explosions or other loud actions are taking place.

So decided probably best to keep the A5-350. Definitely has a ton of power and can probably keep it forever. My eQ.2 is at 3/4 gain which from what I can tell puts it at +5 db which for games at least is fine. I noticed movies have a huge amount of bass boosting and for movies with any amount of basis (Chocolat for example has 0 bass) sub turns on instantly. When playing Killzone at +5 dbs hot at about -40 db sub turns on within a few min.

I've tried everyone's advice and for some reason for me either it's me or my sub or my room (most likely it's probably my room since it's probably the worse place to listen to a subwoofer) I have to really lower it to make it sound level match. Also noticed that the Audessy totally screws up the level matching as it makes my left speaker +5 dbs louder than my right speaker so just manually level matched it with my RS SPL meter.

As of right now it's perfect. Games I prefer +5 db hot movies I prefer level match but sometimes I'll just leave it at +5 db hot because to me they sound mostly the same even if I turn it down and I don't mind the rumble in the room. Good sub for HT and for music it sounds great too.

My dealer was trying to sell me an equivalently priced Rel T2. I don't the Rel has the output or can go as deep as the A5-350. No might not have the wood finish but personally the black looks great and being that it's black it's hard to tell the finish anyway so would highly recommend the A5-350 if you have the space for it.

I would try a new sub cable just to see if the sub will respond quicker. I have read about people on here having poor audyssey levels and wrong distances all from a bad sub cable, so it might be worth a shot.